Top Ten Tuesdays 1/24/12

Top Ten Tuesdays is a meme featured by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. It is an opportunity to share our book interests with other book lovers…in top ten form! This week we have:

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the 1st TimeThere’s always something special about the first time. There are so many books that I wish I could rediscover and love for the first time all over again. A lot of these books I fan girled over like there would never be another book ever written that could knock this book down from my number one spot. Here’s my list:

10) The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt – Lucy and Simon were such an amazing couple. Simon was a man bent on revenge…even if it killed him. It very nearly did and Lucy is the woman who brought back to life both physically and mentally. I LOVED this book and I still do. To me there is nothing better in the romance world than a man redeemed.

9) Ransom by Julie Garwood – This book right here is the book that hooked me on historical romance. Ain’t no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it. I read this a few months before I got married and was breathless through most of it. If you like the historical romance genre you must treat yourself and read a Garwood! Obviously my recommendation would be Ransom.

8) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – Where would the romance world be without Claire and Jamie. A dark and sad place, that’s where. After listening to incessant rantings about how I just had to read Outlander, I finally gave in and read it. Don’t let the hefty size of this tome deter you. It is worth every word on every page.

7) The Prey by Allison Brennan – All I can say is that if you want guaranteed thrills and chills, bad guys who will make your skin crawl and your heart race, and a romance that scorches the pages, you need to pick up an Allison Brennan. Really, any novel of hers will do but I suggest starting with her first. I’ve rarely cared about characters the way I care about hers. I even emailed her at one point to ask about the health and well-being of one of my favorite characters……as if he were a real person people!! Check them out.

6) Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas – The Wallflower series by Lisa Kleypas rocked my historical romance reading socks. It started out just okay with Secrets of a Summer Night and picked up speed with It Happened One Autumn. Then came Evie and Sebastian in Devil in Winter and ladies and gentleman, I blubbered like a little girl. There’s Evie who is abused and manipulated and for all intents and purposes unloved except by her dear wallflower friends. Except that Evie has a backbone when she’s pushed hard enough. Then there is Sebastian who I thought I’d never forgive. He’s a bad boy in need of money and so a marriage is established, both offering the other something they desperately need. Watching Evie find herself and Sebastian fall in love with her in the process was my undoing. Everything fell into perfection for them and this book sealed the series for me and will always be a favorite of mine.

5) Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner – Lisa suggested this book to me almost two years ago. It moved her so much that I had to read it. All I could say after the last chapter was: wow. Really, Warner’s debut is one that you don’t want to miss. I’ve passed it on to my mother and a very close friend and both have adored it. Pieces of Sky is one of those books that will grip you from the beginning and won’t let you go. It’s an emotional investment and one that paid richly in the end. If you’re looking for a historical western with some heart, don’t let this one pass you by!

4) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – This one should be self explanatory but for those of you who don’t know, listen up: one of the best trilogies in young adult I have ever read. Period. Collins takes what we in America know to be and flips it on it’s head. The future she creates is ghastly, but doesn’t require a massive stretch of the imagination. I have been trying to get everyone I know to read this book and have met reluctance. I know why. The premise of the book sound awful. There’s no way it can be good fiction. And yet, it will grab you and hold on and it won’t let you go until you have finished the last page of the last book. It’s memorizing and horrific at the same time and that my dears is what makes it a book worth your time and effort.

3) The Help by Kathryn Stockett – This was another book that I wasn’t sure of when I picked it up. I got the hardcover copy from the library and the fact that I didn’t get it for my Kindle lends proof to the fact that I was very leery about this book. I didn’t have anything to go off of but the movie previews and those can be pretty misleading. What I found was a novel about the south in the 60s that seemed incredibly true to it’s time. I laughed and cried with the maids of Jackson, Mississippi and triumphed with Skeeter when all seemed for naught. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, I suggest you do one or the other. The book of course has more detail.

2) P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern – This was the first book that I read in 2008. January 1st to be exact. A book that makes that kind of imprint is obviously one I will remember for a long time yet. Cecelia Ahern created a beautiful story of love, loss, grief and coping. This book took me on a roller coaster ride. I was beside myself. If you watched the movie first, I’m sorry. There was so much wrong with that one…..that’s another topic though. Take this away: Ahern evoked such emotion from me that I still remember the day and what I was wearing when I finished it. I was traumatized but in a happy way. And really, that doesn’t make sense at all. Great book that really had me evaluating my life.

1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling – Potterheads around the world: unite! You know what I mean. You get tingles up the spine just thinking about Harry Potter, Hogwarts and the cast of characters that only exist in the pages of these books. What I wouldn’t give to rediscover Mr. H. Potter Cupboard Under the Stairs. Harry is about to discover everything that has been held from him the past eleven years and as the reader: we get to discover it all with Harry. It was one of the most amazing first books in a series that I have ever read. This series is the responsible for getting me back into reading in my post high school years and I couldn’t thank Rowling enough for the wonderful escapism she has created for millions of readers and movie goers.

So what was your list today? What books would you love to read for the first time again? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Kathy

So funny that you mention Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner. I had never heard of her until recently. I read about this book on a wonderful blog… http://misfitandmom.wordpress.com/I put it on hold at the library and just read the email that it's ready for pick up.Book karma, I guess!

What a great list for freebie week!! I LOVED The Serpent Prince and it has been just enough time that I think I am due for a reread!I am actually reading the help right now, so we will see how it goes!New follower too!Julia@ Competitive Bibliomaniac@ The Broke and the Bookish

Alexa

I must go run and hide because I have several of those books on my shelf. I must admit that every day when I walk into my second room and see Outlander sitting on my shelf I pass it up for the darn size of the thing. Well that and my YA review pile is out of control! I must get around to reading Outlander and The Wallflower series, which I somehow own all of except book one!

You don't have to hide! But just know that you are in for some awesome reading once you get to them. Outlander is very overwhelming. I avoided it for years because of the sheer size. Size is the reason I haven't picked up book number two. The Wallflower series was good all the way around. So many good books, so little time.